A Statement from Bishop Laura Merrill and the OKUMC Cabinet
To the faithful saints in the Oklahoma Conference of the UMC,
During this long and grueling campaign season, our differences have been highlighted to the point of a dangerous division that has created distrust, confusion, anger and, in some instances, even hate. With the election behind us, our invitation is to reconstruct the bridges where they have been burned and extend our hands in peace. The United Methodist Church in Oklahoma seeks reconciliation and hope amid broken relationships and despair.
Regardless of your feelings about the results of the elections, this is a time to seek Christ’s way of peace. It is a time for us to stand out in our communities as unique and different, as representatives of
Christ’s love, truly seeking the best for our neighbors. In the words of Paul in Philippians 2:3-4, our Lord Jesus Christ calls us to lay aside any selfish purpose, regarding others with humility, and looking not to our own interests but to the interests of others.
Some in our body are rejoicing and relieved today. Others are grieving, confused, or afraid. In every case, our task is to pray, to bring love, and to take up the ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18).
May we do so, in the spirit of John Wesley, who reminded us to avoid harm, to do good and to stay in love with God.
Grace and peace,
Bishop Laura Merrill
Rev. Connie Gibson
Rev. Dr. Derrek Belase
Rev. Dr. Terry Koehn
Joe Holt, CPA
Rev. Dr. Sonja Tobey
Rev. Tish Malloy
Rev. Dr. James Kim
Rev. Dr. John Breon
Rev. Carlos Ramirez
Annual Election is Your Opportunity* to Select 2025 HealthFlex Benefits!
1) Use ALEX Benefits Counselor to find the plan that might be the most cost-effective for your family or individual needs
2) Select medical/pharmacy, dental and vision plans
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Make Your Elections Online
2025 HealthFlex Annual Election
2025 Highlights
• Benefits Access has everything you need for Annual Election, including helpful resources and plan comparisons, videos, and much more at my.benefitsaccess.org/HealthFlexBenefits
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Use ALEX® Benefits Counselor
ALEX Benefits Counselor uses simple language to explain your plan benefits. Use ALEX to:
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Our Saints Are Going Home
A poem for All Saints’ Day by Rev. Carol Cook Moore
Our giants are going home. One by one, they run through the tape, leaving us with a wanting that fills the space their bodies, laughter, words of wisdom, and acts of tenderness once occupied.
Our giants are going home. They wink and wave as if to say to those they leave behind, “You’ve got this!”
How on earth could they know that?
I still catch myself re-living the memory of learning from them: In a voice lesson, a meeting, a side conversation, a moment of lament, a kitchen, a classroom, at a ballgame. And we want just one more. We want one more robust laugh together, one more hug, one more chat, one more exchange of gratitude and affection.
We simply want and need our person to keep living as our giant.
How will we continue to learn?
Because my dear friends who remain on this side of life because they have been our giants. We have listened. We have learned. And we will continue to learn as our lives and work unfolds.
They now surround us-that great cloud of witnesses. In our sorrow, in our stinging loss we take the baton, wipe the tears from our faces, and we continue the race.
Behind us are those who need some of us to grow into their trusted giants. Be careful here. Giants do not set out to be that. It is their faithfulness and bold integrity, their compassion and trust that creates the stature of a giant. Coming up alongside us, are the generations now listening and learning.
On this All-Saint’s Day let us bless our giants. “Well done, good and faithful servants. Rest and rejoice in peace and love.”
Through the grief that rises to be released let us release them to the next shore, knowing that the life that separates us is temporal. Those who have gone before us lean in to kiss the tops of our heads.
“Well done” is the mantra they whisper that fuels us with confidence and hope. Our response? Simple. “Well done, indeed.”
Aging expert Missy Buchanan headlining two events in Oklahoma
In 2023, Missy Buchanan’s beloved husband died, Barry, after a short illness. Out of her grief, this ecumenical leader and best-selling author was prompted to write her eleventh book called Feeling Your Way Through Grace, published in August of this year.
In early December, Buchanan will be in Oklahoma to headline two events sharing about her new book as well as her passion for bridging the divide between various generations. A longtime advocate for intergenerational ministry, Missy is passionate about this work.
“The journey of aging is filled with potholes and unexpected twists and turns. Each new day presents another challenge in a season when energy is fading and bodies are faltering. Grief and loss have become our constant companions. Yet late life can be God’s great adventure for us, if we are willing to embrace a fresh perspective. Instead of fear and dread, we will discover beauty, joy and purpose in the journey,” Missy shared recently as she prepares to come to Oklahoma.
She has appeared several times on Good Morning America (GMA) with co-anchor Robin Roberts who describes Missy as “the rare soul that understands, truly understands, older adults: their fears, struggles and hopes.” Missy was also the co-author of Robin Robert’s mother Lucimarian Roberts’ memoir, My Story, My Song. You can see Missy discussing her latest book on GMA here
All of her books are available from The Upper Room.
If you would like to hear Missy speak about these important topics and think about your own ministry with older adults, here are the opportunities:
Monday, December 2 at 6 p.m. at Epworth Villa in Oklahoma City. Epworth Villa is located at 14901 N. Pennsylvania. The OKC event includes a dinner, entertainment and opportunity to hear Missy. There is no charge to attend this event.
Tuesday, December 3 at 1 p.m. at Trinity Woods in Tulsa. Trinity Woods is located at 4134 E 31st Street. The Tulsa event includes refreshments, an opportunity to hear
Missy and engage in meaningful conversation with her.
Registration is limited at both events, so please register as soon as possible so adequate preparation can be made for the events. There is no cost to attend thanks to the partnership between both communities and the Local Church Development Ministry Team of the annual conference.
Rev. Dr. Derrek Belase, director of Connectional Ministry highlights the importance of these events for your churches.
“We know that attracting younger people in our churches is important, but over the next ten years, the grouping 65 and older will grow by the largest percentage of all age groups in our state. Now is the time to enhance our ministries so that we are prepared to welcome and nurture this generation of faithful Christians,” said Belase.
Make plans now to attend one of these very important events with leaders from your church.
Missy Buchanan Submitted photo.
Thinking about retirement in the next 5 years or so?
It’s never too soon to learn about the retirement planning process! Offered November 19 and 20, this live pre-retirement webinar covers information about:
• Distribution options and decisions
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• Making your elections at benefitsaccess.org
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• And more—all at no cost* to you!
Click on a session date below to register (identical presentations):
Tuesday, November 19 from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m., Central Time
Wednesday, November 20 from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m., Central Time
We look forward to seeing you there!
A church and a camp and a lot of good work
BY TIM BOURNE
In the summer of 2023, a team of youth and adults from Church of the Good Shepherd in Yukon descended into Canyon Camp to do some sprucing up. The signature project was the building of a bridge behind the lodge connecting it to a small glade with a gazebo. The bridge would make it easier for camp staff and volunteers to get lawn mowers and equipment back to clean it up and maintain the area. The team and the camp staff were so pleased with the results they returned a few weeks ago to finish what they started and start
something new (and even bigger).
October 16 to 19 this year, a team made of up of many of last year’s group, plus some new faces, headed back to the canyon for a couple more projects. A smaller section of the team revisited the bridge to give it a good power washing and application of sealant to help protect it for years to come. The space around the bridge was looking fantastic, and other teams had added a rope railing and LED lighting. At the same time, the rest of the team embarked on a new, ambitious project. David Combs, director of Canyon Camp, asked if we would consider
building a 76 by 24 foot deck between the pool and volleyball courts. The existing concrete transition was crumbling in many spots and its safety and usefulness were not good.
Many different skills and power tools were employed along with a great deal of manual labor to move and position construction materials. By the end of the trip, the main supports, beams and joists were successfully installed. Folks of all ages and abilities served however they were able and even learned new skills to help finish the work. Before leaving team members wrote signatures,
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scripture verses and notes of encouragement throughout the project.
In addition to the deck and bridge work, the camp requested help clearing out brush and trees around the pool and volleyball courts so that they could get their heavier equipment behind those areas to keep things clear for pool care and to make it easier for campers to track down errant balls. Team members chainsawed, trimmed and pruned through a mass of small trees, branches and vegetation and hauled it all off.
The team worked incredibly hard, laughed together, and shared a couple of evenings of meaningful worship. The focus, much like last year, was on working together, showing kindness and living in community. The hope is that the work done will continue to bless campers of all ages for years to come. The team’s plan is to return in November of 2024 to install the railing and deck boards.
CONTACT US TODAY TO PROVIDE FOR THE MINISTRIES OF YOUR CHURCH AND LASTING GOOD IN YOUR COMMUNITY
The team. BACK ROW: Stephen Bumgarner, Connor Bitner, Colton Ellis, Faith Ellis, Jaxon Kretchmar, Candice Parker; MIDDLE ROW: Tom McDonough, Jean Kidd, Rev. John Miller, Monica Miller, Bob Macemon, Glenda Bitner, Kaci Milligan, Steve Bitner, Tristen Kretchmar, Sharine Kretchmar, Brian Kretchmar, Katie Caldwell; FRONT/KNEELING: Tim Bourne & Catrina Bourne. Photos by Tim Bourne.
Tristen Kretchmar and Catrina Bourne work on hanging joists at Canyon Camp.
FROM LEFT: Catrina Bourne, Jean Kidd, Monica Miller, and Katie Caldwell put sealant on the bridge to protect it from the weather.
Ministry in a Minute
Northeast District hosted CJAMM leadership recently. Several churches in the Northeast District sponsor apartments at Exodus House Tulsa, the faith-based re-entry ministry for those leaving incarceration. Keith Dobbs, CJAMM Executive Director, said that Exodus House Tulsa wouldn’t be celebrating 22 years without this valuable partnership. Pictured Left to Right are Matt Patrick, Co-pastor, Matt Austin, Co-pastor, University UMC; Brenda Scrivner, District Administrator, Northeast District; Keith Dobbs, Executive Director, CJAMM; Shelly Cleaves, District Accountant, Northeast District; Anne Robertson, Assistant Director, CJAMM; and Rev. Dr. Terry Koehn, District Superintendent, Northeast District. Pastor Matt Austin is also a CJAMM board member.
Volunteers at Piedmont UMC hosted a workshop on Mats for Missions and prayer shawls. The group learned how to take plastic shopping bags, which would otherwise end up in a landfill, and turn them into plarn - plastic yarn - which they then weave onto a loom.
The loom helps participants make mats, which are insulating, as well as cushioned, waterproof, and easy to keep clean.
Participants also worked on prayer shawls, which comfort people experiencing illness, surgery, a medical emergency, loss of a loved one, or any other instance where they may need to be wrapped in the comfort of God’s love.
Knitting, crochet, and weaving are all skills that could be learned - or put to use - at the workshop, though simply cutting and tying are also skills that could be utilized.
Call to Action
Send us photos and stories about your fun Fall events! We’d love to share your fall festivals, haunted houses, pumpkin mazes, hot chocolate bazaars, trunk-or-treats, sugaramas, or anything else you’ve been doing in this - finally! - cooler weather! Send photos and stories to editor@okumc.org.
The Ministry Center will be closed for the following holidays:
Nov. 27-28 - Thanksgiving
Dec. 25-26 - Christmas
Share your event or job opportunity in the Contact For consideration, email your listing to editor@okumc.org.
